The Rías Altas

Galicia’s north coast has been ravaged by the ocean into a series of dramatic bays and estuaries known as the Rías Altas (High Estuaries). As you approach from Asturias, the coastline becomes noticeably more desolate, the road twisting around rocky inlets where wind-lashed villages cling to the shore, backed by eucalyptus forests and wild-looking hills. Driving is slow, though the final westward stretch of the FEVE railway, from Luarca to Ferrol, is perhaps the most picturesque of the entire route.